An Israeli newspaper reveals Israel’s role in the deal to equip Morocco with F-35 stealth fighters
Arab Defense Website – November 5, 2025: “Published” websiteGlobesThe Israeli newspaper published an article talking about Israel’s role in the potential deal between Morocco and the United States to supply the Kingdom with F-35 aircraft, worth an estimated $17 billion.
According to the site, Israel does not oppose this deal and will cooperate in its implementation. Stressing that one of the most influential parties in these talks is Israel, in light of Rabat’s ambition to become the first Arab country to operate F-35 fighters.
Israel’s qualitative advantage
Morocco is seeking to strengthen its defenses, as the deal sought by Rabat includes the purchase of 32 F-35 aircraft, with a training and maintenance system extending for 45 years, in a deal estimated at approximately $17 billion. According to the TWZ report, Israel does not oppose the move and may offer some forms of technical cooperation, which in turn would facilitate the US Congress’ approval of the deal.
The report indicated that Israel does not oppose the deal, despite its qualitative military superiority guaranteed to it by the United States, and is also likely to participate in some technical aspects of the potential deal.
Negotiations to purchase fifth-generation fighters began in 2020, with the signing of the Abraham Accords. In November 2021, then-Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Morocco to sign a security cooperation agreement with his Moroccan counterpart Abdel Latif Loudi. Since then, significant progress has been made on the issue of purchasing the F-35 with Washington, making it one of the most prominent axes of cooperation between Tel Aviv and Rabat, according to what was reported by the Israeli Globes website.
Dr. Kobi Barda, a historian and geostrategist who teaches at the HIT Institute in Holon, stated that any sale of the F-35 requires the approval of the US Congress. He added: “Israel’s principle of qualitative superiority (QME) has been well-established since the late 1960s. Turkey, for example, obtained approval to purchase the F-35 based on its membership in NATO, until it purchased the S-400 systems from Russia, for which approval was withdrawn. If Israel does not object to the sale of these advanced aircraft to Morocco, this will remove a major obstacle before Congress.”
Moroccan ambition is also influenced by Algeria’s armament policy. According to reports, Algeria signed huge deals to purchase the Sukhoi Su-57 and Sukhoi Su-35 fighters in 2019. On the technical side, the Su-57 has a greater weapons carrying capacity (about 10 tons compared to the F-35’s 8.16 tons), but the F-35 offers significant superiority in sensors, the ability to attack beyond visual range, and network connectivity — crucial information in modern combat systems.
Today, the Moroccan Air Force operates about 47 F-16 aircraft, including about 24 upgraded aircraft. TWZ reports indicate that American companies such as L3 are working to convert Gulfstream G550 aircraft into intelligence aircraft using advanced systems from Elta, a subsidiary of the Israeli Aerospace Industries Corporation, which enhances Moroccan capabilities in the field of intelligence and cybersecurity. The Israeli connection does not stop there. According to foreign reports, Morocco purchased the Ofek-13 surveillance satellites in July last year, bypassing French giants such as Airbus and Thales who had been traditional suppliers to Morocco for years.
Dr. Kobi Barda concluded by saying:
“The F-35 is a plane on another level, and we saw that in Iran.”
The article An Israeli newspaper reveals Israel’s role in the deal to equip Morocco with F-35 stealth fighters appeared first on the Arab Defense website.
